Work is underway to “dramatically expand” solar farm in Sussex County

SUSSEX Co., Del. – Constellation energy and Delaware Electric Cooperative are partnering to dramatically expand the Bruce A. Henry Solar Farm in Sussex County.

President & CEO of Delaware Electric Cooperative said, “The project itself is scheduled to be done by the end of the year.”

The farm is nearly doubling in size and the new panels should last for quite a while.

Andrew said, “The life of this field is 25 years.”

The new solar panels are expected to supply power to about 400 homes in the area. When combined with the existing solar panels at the farm, nearly 1,000 homes in Sussex County will be supplied with renewable energy.

Andrew said, “We have 40 acres of solar here and 40 acres will serve 1,000 homes on our system 100% of the time.”

We’re told some have expressed frustration that potential farm land was used for this project, but Andrew says, “We’re growing a crop of energy versus corn or soybeans.”

As for those who are worried about energy costs, we’re told the cost of solar is actually going down.

Andrew said, “As the technology has changed, the cost of the solar panels has come down. Its gotten better.”

Regardless of concerns or opinions, hundreds of Cooperative customers in Sussex County will make the switch over to solar in a matter of months.

Andrew said, “The moment it comes on, it feeds directly into our lines and our members are going to reap that benefit.”

This solar project has created about 40 temporary jobs.

Delaware Electric Cooperative says if you’re interested in solar energy, but you don’t want to install panels on your property, you can take part in their Community Solar Program. For details, you can click here.